Volkswagen settlement

The MPCA released a draft of this state plan for public comment in February and March 2018. The plan sought to balance and reflect the large amount of wide-ranging input we heard during our first year of engagement. We received 581 written comments on the draft plan. The majority of comments were positive and we received helpful suggestions.

Volkswagen has agreed to settle allegations that it violated the federal Clean Air Act by selling vehicles that emit air pollution over the legal limit, and by cheating on federal emission tests to hide the excess pollution. The affected vehicles exceed federal emission limits for nitrogen oxide (NOx), a pollutant that harms public health and contributes to ozone or smog formation.

As part of the settlement, states are eligible to receive funds to pay part of the cost of projects to reduce diesel emissions from vehicles and to install electric vehicle charging stations. The MPCA developed Minnesota’s plan for using these funds to improve air quality in our state.